A number of the current threads talk about winching in the US. As this
is fairly new to the US, and old hat in Europe, it might be useful for
European readers to offer tips to US clubs who are thinking of trying it.

My tips would be:

1. A 3,000 ft run is enough, but 3.5-4k ft is better. 3k ft will give
1100+ ft in nil wind, which in the UK I reckon will get a pilot away
between 1/3 and 1/2 the time. 1500+ ft improves that to better than 1/2.
Winching is about the same price as aerotow at 1/3 (though more
time-consuming) - at better than 1/2 it's little more effort for all
involved and approaches 1/2 the price. Most UK winch launches cost
around 1/3 an aerotow.

2. Narrow strips are not good news unless the winch run is long enough
to make the getting away rate better than 1/2. I was for 10 years a
member of a club with a 3k ft run and a strip too narrow to launch if
another glider was on approach. This is very frustrating. The ideal
winch strip has enough width at the launch end to allow gliders to land
to one side of the winch run. This means you can queue up the launches
and send them off as rapidly as possible.

3. Who drives the winch? At my previous club, pilots were rotaed to
drive for 1/2 a day. This is very frustrating if it's a good day,
particularly if (as for many pilots) work or family limits the number of
days you can potentially fly. The happiest winching clubs I know either
(a) pay a winch driver, or (b) winch co-operatively with aerotow backup
if no-one wants to drive the thing.

Any other tips?